How to Propagate a Red Osier Dogwood

Disinfect pruning shears before you take cuttings.

Red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) is a deciduous shrub that brings color and texture to the garden each season, adding curb appeal to your home. It features red and orange autumn foliage, dark red winter shoots, ovate green leaves in spring, white flowers in late spring and early summer, and white berries tinged with blue in summer. Ornamental red osier dogwood can be propagated from seeds, but propagation by rooting year-old greenwood or live stakes yields faster results. Collect seeds in late fall for seed propagation. Take greenwood cuttings in late spring or early summer, or plant live stakes during the dormant season, which is late autumn through early spring.

Live Stakes

1

Collect live stakes – long, hardwood cuttings taken in autumn from the previous year's growth – and store them in plastic bags until ready to plant. Cut stakes 8 to 12 inches long, making the cut just above a bud – called a node in horticulture terminology – on the parent plant. Live stakes differ from cuttings in length and rooting method. Live stakes are planted directly into the ground and cuttings are rooted in a specially prepared rooting medium.

2

Prepare stakes for planting by making a slanted cut just below a node, leaving at least four nodes above the cut.

3

Drive the stakes directly into the ground with a mallet or similar instrument. Plant live stakes during the dormant season, late fall through spring. Make certain at least two nodes are below ground and two are above ground. Roots grow from below-ground nodes and leaves grow from above-ground nodes. Water live stakes occasionally for the first year after planting.

Cuttings

1

Prepare the rooting medium by mixing equal parts sphagnum peat with sharp sand. Place the rooting medium in a tub or hotbed. Irrigate frequently until the sphagnum is consistently moist.

2

Take greenwood cuttings in summer or hardwood cuttings in autumn. Make the cuttings about 12 inches long. Store the cuttings in plastic bags in a cool, shady area until ready to use.

3

Trim cuttings by making a slanted cut just below a node. Leave at least three nodes above the bottom node and make a straight cut above the top node. You can make several cuttings from one long stem.

4

Dip the moistened cuttings in rooting hormone, if desired. Stick the cuttings in the prepared tubs of rooting mixture. Plant deeply enough so that two nodes are buried.

5

Cover the rooting container with clear plastic. Keep the cuttings out of direct sunlight. The rooting tub can stay outside in the wintertime, but it must not be allowed to freeze.

Seed Propagation

1

Collect seeds in late summer or autumn, when they are fully ripe. Seeds can be sown directly into the ground in a tilled, moist bed, or they can be cold stratified indoors for spring planting. Push seeds about 1/2 inch into the ground for direct sowing and cover the bed with a 1/2- to 1-inch layer of sawdust mulch.

2

Stratify seeds for spring sowing by removing the seed hulls and placing cleaned seeds in a jar of wet sand or wet sphagnum peat moss. Cover the jar lightly with a lid and place it in a refrigerator set to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold-moist stratification allows the seeds to break dormancy so they sprout when they are planted in warm soil in the springtime. Keep the sand or peat moist during stratification.

3

Plant seeds outside after stratifying 60 to 90 days. Sow seeds shallowly and keep them moist until they sprout and show evidence of good root development. To improve germination rates, damage the seed coats slightly before planting by nicking them with a knife or lightly sanding with sandpaper or a metal file.

Things You Will Need

Pruning shears

Rubbing alcohol or household bleach

Plastic bags

Mallet

Sphagnum peat

Sand

Rooting hormone, optional

Plastic

Jar with cover

Sawdust

Sandpaper or metal file

Tip

Take long, straight shoots growing from the center of the plant for cuttings.

Warning

Keep pruning equipment clean to prevent spread of disease to plants and cuttings. Wipe pruning shears with rubbing alcohol or a 10 percent bleach solution to disinfect before and after use.

About the Author

For Judy Kilpatrick, gardening is the best mental health therapy of all. Combining her interests in both of these fields, Kilpatrick is a professional flower grower and a practicing, licensed mental health therapist. A graduate of East Carolina University, Kilpatrick writes for national and regional publications.